my first beer from these guys is a bit of a let down. it tastes a bit stale, like a crummy euro dark lager all extracty and weird. dark in color, more like a porter in looks than a dark ale, rather dense and not super heady after the initial gush fades down. a nose of tale dark roasted grain and lager yeast, nothing seems alive or fresh about it, flavors are all muted, and the yeast is just weird. i have heard these guys make some great stuff, but this is a pretty uninspiring introduction to this brewery. lacking the nice carbonation and quick finish of the better schwarz types, and not really giving me much grain character at all. it makes me thirsty for a good one. it also seems a bit thick and under carbonated, not the feel i am really after in the style. all up, there is nothing particularly bad about it, but it just never really comes together, something with the yeast i think, but this one is forgettable for me.

Pours into my schwarbier glass a deep cola color with a light beige head sitting perfectly atop,just a great pour.Aromas of chocolate and earth with light roast...not overpowering,smells like a great dessert beer.Chocolaty sweet flavors but not overly so,some more brown sugar comes into play giving more sweetness but a big earthy backbone keeps the sweetness from taking over,roast is bigger as I drink more but the lager smoothness holds thr to the finish.I like this rendition of the style,it's alot better than most American versions in my opinion.

On tap @ the brewpub. Pours black with a sturdy light mocha head that rings the sides with rich swathes of lace. Smells floral and green with citric hops. This blends in with a combo of cocoa powder and some sweeter toffee flavors, while a firm roastiness shores up the back. The taste is similar, with a smooth blend of cocoa, caramel, dark malts and a crisp citric bite that leaves a touch of bitterness and roast in the finish. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with a clean and tight feel all around. Flavorful and very drinkable, this is one of the better Schwartzbiers I’ve had lately.

Dark brown, near black, body with a half inch of khaki head. Chocolate, nutty, earthy, aroma. Chocolate and caramel malt with a hint of yeast and afterthoughts of coffee. Dark and rich. Light to medium bodied with soft carbonation and a mild hop note in the back end. Solid.

A very dark walnut black, with hints of red, a real dark lager for sure. Makes a nice tan head with soapy retention, and leaves lots of speckled tiny clumped up lacing. Real dark brew, good head and retention, impressive.

The brew has a great nose. Light toasty malts, and hints of creamy coffee. Great wonderful chewy grain and pumpernickel like bread. Hints a little bit of milk chocolate hiding as well. A real inviting bouquet.

Palate hits with the right notes that came from the nose, but are much more downplayed. Good hint of grain roast, but there's a little bit of acrid sourness on the finish just a touch. Mouthfeel seems about right, with a hint of light character but plenty of malt depth to carry the flavors. There's also a hint of lager like crispness that just wants to peak out, with a coffee sensing roast character.

Overall it's a pretty solid Schwarz but nothing mind blowing or something I would desperately pickup again. I would drink this again with no problem if I had a choice.

Poured a blackish body with two finger offwhite head that took forever to die and left sticky lace. Hearty, roasted malt aroma with good notes of dark chocolate and some caramel and I don't pick up too much of a hop presence but it's there. Light to medium bodied and easily passes the tongue but not watery, a touch of fluffy yeast for that fuller bodied sensation but mostly an easy passer. Taste is mostly the malts, a good balance of roasted malts and bready dark chocolate with some caramel, and a nice if not equal job done by the hops for balance and a little citric hop flavors in there. Not the most flavorful or exotic beer one is going to find but this hits all the basic attributes just fine and is an easy to drink beer that one can relax with.

Appearance – The beer pours a deep black color with ruby highlight seen shinning through the body when held up to the light. Upon pouring there was a big billowy cream almost grayish head that faded relatively quickly as the large carbonation bubbles popped. One the head receded it left a persistent film on the brew with a moderate level of lace on the sides of the glass.

Smell – The aroma was heaviest of roasted malt with some hints of a more bitter cocoa mixed within. Other lighter hop aromas of a earthy and herbal nature were mixed with these giving a dry and roasty aroma overall.

Taste – The taste begins with a roasted malt flavor of a toasted dark bread, some caramel and a bit coffee. Notes of a semi-sweet cocoa come to the tongue more toward the middle where they sweeten the taste ever sol slightly. Notes of char and a earthy hop flavor then come to the tongue more toward the end, leaving a drier, but overall relatively smooth flavor on the tongue.

Mouthfeel –The body of the beer was on the medium to slightly above medium side in terms of its creaminess with a carbonation level that was average to slightly on the higher side. The creamier body was fantastic for the roasty and toasty flavor of the brew while the carbonation level keep it on the easy drinking and more refreshing side.

Overall – A pretty nice brew overall with a good roasty flavor and nice drinkability.